Pontiff or Pontificate's a title of certain religious leaders, now used principally to refer to leaders such as the Pope of the Catholic Church and of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pontiff refers to the person in office, while Pontificate refers to the period in which the office's held by that singular person. Etymology The term derives from the French word pontife, from the Latin pontifex, a title used for high priests of the Roman Republic. The word pontifex's commonly held to derive from the La… (More on Pontiff)